Data Scientist

Data Scientist

General Information

Requisition # 642

Locations USA-VA-Arlington - Hybrid, USA-DC-Washington - Hybrid, USA-MD-Maryland - Hybrid, USA-VA-Virginia - Hybrid, USA - Remote - Eastern Time Zone

Posting Date 01/22/2026

Security Clearance Required - Active IRS Public Trust w/ Background Investigation

Remote Type Onsite/Hybrid

Time Type Full time

Description & Requirements

As a Data Scientist, you will support the Internal Revenue Services mission to improve tax compliance, fraud detection, and risk identification across large, complex tax and financial data environments. You will work directly with government clients, program managers, and technical teams to understand business and compliance challenges, design analytical approaches, and deliver data-driven solutions that inform enforcement, audit prioritization, and fraud prevention efforts.

In this role, you will develop, test, and deploy predictive and statistical models using structured and unstructured data to identify anomalies, non-compliance risk, and potential fraud within tax records and related datasets. You will contribute across the full data science lifecycle, from problem formulation and data exploration through model validation, deployment, and stakeholder communication.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Prior programming experience, preferably in Python or R, including data exploration, feature engineering, and model development
• Explore, clean, and wrangle large, complex datasets to uncover insights and identify opportunities for data sciencedriven solutions in support assessments, gap analyses, and actionable recommendations for IRS stakeholders
• Design, develop, test, and implement quantitative and qualitative data science solutions that are modular, maintainable, and adaptable to evolving government and regulatory requirements
• Demonstrated experience using Python, SQL, and Databricks for data analysis, modeling, and statistical evaluation
• Apply statistical and machine learning techniques to anomaly detection, fraud identification, and non-compliance risk scoring, including supervised and unsupervised approaches to help prioritize cases based on compliance risk, fraud indicators and business impact
• Develop and evaluate predictive risk models used to support audit selection, refund review, and fraud prevention initiatives
• Test and validate models using robustness, sensitivity, and significance testing, ensuring defensible and explainable results
• Write modular, reusable, and well-documented code within an iterative development process that includes peer review and collaboration
• Collaborate with clients, subject matter experts, and cross-functional teams to refine problem statements, requirements, and analytical approaches
• Prepare and deliver technical and non-technical briefings, reports, and presentations to audiences with varying levels of analytical sophistication
• Demonstrated ability to work independently in a collaborative, fast-paced environment
• Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate business and compliance needs into technical solutions
• Experience using Markdown for technical documentation

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in a relevant field such as statistics, computer science, economics, mathematics, analytics, data science, business, or social sciences
• 2-10+ years of experience in data science, analytics, or a related technical field
• Experience using version control systems (e.g., Git) and collaborative development practices
• Strong understanding of relational databases and SQL
• Comfortable learning new tools, methodologies, and domains, including working outside your comfort zone
• Strong analytical mindset with a willingness to tackle complex mathematical and statistical challenges
• Willingness to travel and work on-site at client locations as required by project needs

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in statistics, computer science, data science, mathematics, analytics, engineering, or related fields
• Experience with PySpark, Unity Catalog, and Jobs in DataBricks
• Experience with Natural Language Processing (NLP) and text analytics applied to unstructured documents or case notes
• Experience with graph analytics and network analysis to identify relationships, fraud rings, or interconnected entities
• Familiarity with platforms and tools such as Databricks, and AWS
• Experience with containerization and environment management (e.g., venv, conda)
• Understanding of the data analytics lifecycle (e.g., CRISP-DM)
• Experience applying advanced statistical concepts including sampling considerations, bias detection, weighting techniques, handling missing or outlier data, exploratory analysis, and longitudinal forecasting
• Experience operating in secure or remote government environments, including use of bash and command-line tools

Clearance & Other Requirements

• Must currently possess an IRS Public Trust clearance with Full Background Investigation

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50%
• Needs to occasionally move about inside the office to access file cabinets, office machinery, etc.
• Frequently communicates with co-workers, management, and customers, which may involve delivering presentations. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations

Why apply to this position at Elder Research?

• Competitive Salary and Benefits
• Important Work / Make a Difference supporting U.S. national security.
• Job Stability: Elder Research is not a typical government contractor, we hire you for a career not just a contract.
• People-Focused Culture: we prioritize work-life-balance and provide a supportive, positive, and collaborative work environment as well as opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

About Elder Research, Inc

People Centered. Data Driven

• Elder Research is a fast growing consulting firm specializing in predictive analytics. Being in the data mining business almost 30 years, we pride ourselves in our ability to find creative, cutting edge solutions to real-world problems. We work hard to provide the best value to our clients and allow each person to contribute their ideas and put their skills to use immediately.
• Our team members are passionate, curious, life-long learners. We value humility, servant-leadership, teamwork, and integrity. We seek to serve our clients and our teammates to the best of our abilities. In keeping with our entrepreneurial spirit, we want candidates who are self-motivated with an innate curiosity and strong team work.
• Elder Research believes in continuous learning and community - each week the entire company attends a Tech Talk and each office location provides lunch. Elder Research provides a supportive work environment with established parental, bereavement, and PTO policies. By prioritizing a healthy work-life balance - with reasonable hours, solid pay, low travel, and extremely flexible time off - Elder Research enables and encourages its employees to serve others and enjoy their lives.
• Elder Research, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.
• Elder Research is a Government contractor and many of our positions require US Citizenship.